€22,678 raised from kidney support group walk

A TOTAL of €22,678 was raised from the 10th annual kidney support group charity walk in West Clare last May. The money was presented to the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) at a function in Tubridy’s, Cooraclare, last Saturday night. This money was collected by Irish Kidney Association supporters from Galway, Limerick, Tipperary and Kerry following the walk, which attracted 300 participants on a route from Kilrush to Cooraclare in May. Participants included surgeons, specialists and nurses from the Renal Unit at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick.
The walk was organised by the West Clare Kidney Support Group, which has raised huge sums of money since it was first held over a decade ago. All the funds raised will be donated to the Haemo-Dialysis Service, which has just started at Beaumont Hospital.
The recent announcement of a trial of home haemodialysis through Beaumont Hospital by Dr Liam Plant, director of the national Renal Office, has been welcomed by the Clare branch of the Irish Kidney Association.
Clare branch treasurer, Peggy Eustace, explained the proceeds of the West Clare walk would enable patients with end-stage kidney disease who are currently being treated at the hospital to benefit from the programme.
“Initially, the service will only be available to a small group of individually selected patients. It is really high-quality therapy. It involves the patient having dialysis machines in their own homes.
“The trial involves the patient undergoing training to perform all or most of their own home haemodialysis treatment. They feel much better with it, less medication is needed, no journeys are involved and it has a lot of plus factors for the patient, in addition to more control.
“The Irish Kidney Association hope that eventually it will be rolled out nationally,” she said.
Ms Eustace stressed that the IKA was thrilled to get such a large sum of money for this programme. She acknowledged the sponsors and participants of the walk and paid special tribute to the West Clare Kidney Support Group for the huge amount of work they have completed for the charity over the past decade.
She pointed out it was only through the help of groups like the West Clare Kidney Support Group that the IKA could provide advice, support and assistance to their members throughout the country.
The 11th annual fundraising kidney walk will be held on Sunday May 2, 2010.